CBC......What on earth are you thinking?

I read an article the other day, well actually I read it twice, then once more just to be sure that I was not imagining or misunderstanding what I saw in print. As I wasn't certain I could believe the contents of the article, I went out to do my due diligence and research to verify the facts.

As you may have surmised from the title of this post the article is about our beloved mother corp, the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). Now as a Canadian I have learned long ago not to be too shocked by any decision or course of action CBC undertakes, remember these are the same clowns that cancelled The Simpsons (a ratings giant) because it was not Canadian content, yet have force fed us Coronation Street (a British soap opera) for the last quarter century. So what was it that nearly made me fall out of my chair?

Are there any losers left?

This past weekend my family and I had the good fortune to attend a hockey tournament with my sons team. These events are always a good time and provide the opportunity for the players and their families to get to know each other better.

However, they often highlight a pervasive attitude in our society that is anything but good. The attitude I refer to is what I call the "Participation Award". You know, the award that every child participating in an event gets, sometimes its a pendant, maybe a medal of certificate. It is generally the award that the team that didn't win gets by default.

Ahhh....A man after my own heart!

The last few days have seen a flurry of outcry in response to a remark made by one of Canada's senators. Now while I could comment about the fact that our political parties seem to have more interest in playing a game of one-upmanship than actually running the country, I will hold my tongue on that issue for another opportunity (Lord knows there are enough of them). Rather today I will share my thoughts on the comment that actually started the ball rolling on this one.

The comment was made by Sen. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu, who has made a few remarks in the past that have got him into hot water. While I can't say I agree with all of his remarks I do see the wisdom in his latest one. Now before I go any  further here's a little history on the man, Boisvenu became a prominent victims' rights advocate after his daughter was kidnapped, raped and murdered in 2002.  Prime Minister Harper appointed him to the Senate two years ago.

So what did he say that has got opposition parties and bleeding hearts up in arms?

What's all the fuss about Old Age Security?

Like most people I see a day when retirement will be upon me. So while I am doing my best to build a nest egg for those years I also realize that I will be counting on the government for some of my retirement income.

This means that anytime our federal government discusses changes that may effect the retired segment of our population I listen up. Naturally when I recently heard Prime Minister Harper speak on the need for raising the age of eligibility for Old Age Security (OAS) to 67  from it's current 65 my ears perked up and I immediately assumed the worse. However like so much of what the mainstream media serves to us there is far more to it than meets the eye.